He found himself watching riya a lot latelly. He liked what he saw. She was very attractive, how had he missed that. She had a quiet charm about her, she walked quickly as if she was avoiding him. She sat as far from him as possible while she watched tv. She ate like a delicate sparrow. She very rarely spoke and there were times he thought she wasn’t in the room, yet she was.
He began to notice other things about her, like the blackness of her hair, the slenderness of her neck, the way her shirts molded her figure. When she walked the sway of her hips and when she breathed the gentle rise and fall of her breasts. Santosh was beginning to find himself become increasingly uncomfortable around her. Yet he sought out her company, more and more.
Saturday came and Riya found herself really scared. She got dressed with care. She put on the new saree and struggled with the make up that the sles lady had suggested. By 7 pm she was ready.
She came outside her room and looked selfconsiously around. Took a deep breath and thought , OH THANK GOD SANTOSH IS NOT HERE. But little did she realize that coming out of the washroom santosh had seen her and was standing behind her looking, no!! staring at her.
She was beautiful, and the black saree complimented her skin tone perfectly. The curve of her body was emphasized to perfection and the little bit of stomch showing was very tempting. He wanted to say hell with the paerty lets stay home and ravage this beauty. But then he remembered, this is riya, the enemy.
They travelled in the car in absolute silence and upon reaching , santosh told riya to go inside while he parked the car. She went inside hesitantly and waited by the door. She was very unsure and didn’t know anyone here. Santosh came inside and made the necessary introductions . after a while he moved away and was haiving few laughs with some people he hardly met, when he realized, that riya was not in the room. He scaned the room and didn’t see her. Then he caught a glimpse in the terraceof her , and headed towards her.
As he got closer he heard voices and realized Riya was in trouble. Sanjay had her cornered and was holding her arm, preventing her from moving away. He heard him say, so you are santosh’s wife. Well well trust the bastard to find the most beautiful woman as his wife. But everyone knows he is not interested in you, so why not I show you what benefits you can have”
‘Let go of me, I am not interested in you or your kind ‘ she fumed
And santosh intervined..”do as the my wife says”
Hey buddy, chill!!! Just checking the merchandise, if its upto your standard”..
Santosh, didn’t know where the serge of white rage came from and his fist connected with sanjay’s jaw.
“stay the hell away from my wife.” He said with a deadly quiet tone.
Grabbed RIya’s hand and walked out of the room.
Sitting again in silence. RIya kept glancing at Santosh.
Then in a scared quiet voice said,” I am sorry”
“What the hell are you sorry about, sanjay is a jerk, and thinks he is Gods gift to all women. He is the laughing stock of whole society, he had it coming”
He looked at her and smiled..”GADHA HAI WHO”(HE IS AN ASS)…she was taken a back, not at what santosh was saying, but at the smile he directed at her. She smiled back and then giggled.
They reached home and in silence. RIya still besautiful in her black saree, made him a drink and started to move away. “Stay, stay with me”…he said she nodded and came to stand beside him. Looking out at the twinkeling skyline from the balcony. It was hard to see where the sky ended and earth began. In the darkness, the stars twinkled above and the city lights glowed below. It was a beautiful night.
Santosh looked at his wife and said, “ I want to ask you something?’ she nodded.
‘we started as enemies, lived with indifference, but today I want to move forward, we can live as friends, but if you agree then lets move forward as husband and wife, if you want the same as I do take my hand, “…..with that he stretched his hand towards her. He was staring at his empty hand when he saw a small tiny hand come and grip his hand very tightly. That’s when he looked at her, and two more stars, in her eyes. He took her in his arms. And stood there for a long time just holding her. It felt right.
He wanted to say soo much to her, but he was not able to. He picked her in his arms and took her inside. Shouldered the door to his bedroom open., he laid her on the bed. With only th light from the hallway, he began to kiss her. Shyly she put her arms around him and moved in closer to him. He sat on the bed and stood her infront of him. Slowly removing her saree as if he was unwrapping a gift. He took his time unwrapping his present, piece by piece, until he had her unwrapped.
He stood up, and removed his cloths, while she watched. And then he took her in his arms and touched her. Exploring her body as if he never knew such a wonder. He laid her down again, and moved over her.
Later with his wife in his arms asleep, he lit a cigarette and looked at her, felt a wave of overwhelming tenderness come over him, he kissed her forehead, and whispered “ my wife’
Closed his eyes and thought of the last 10 months. He had gone home looking for peace, he had found it, not in the way he anticipated but he had found it.. he wondered if the trick to happy marriage is in going with his parents wishes, or was it that love is not a bolt of lightning but a discovery, a journey, where more you know some one, more you love them. Maybe it’s a compromise, the older one gets the more idealistic thoughts of love are discarded and the need for companionship increases. What ever it is he was happy and at peace. He had finally understood one thing, what he lacked was love, and he was a grown man looking for it in all the wrong places. He had found love temporarily. It is not love, sex is not love, and no one will or can know the difference till one makes love to a person they love. Only then its is making love. And making love is not just in bed, but in everything you do, fighting, argueing, working, being silent, as long as it is all with that one person.
The end.
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